GRANDCHILDREN OF THE PONDS
by Blackandwhitelover
Summary: Freya, Adric, Amelia and Sophie are the Doctor and River's children. When their parents go missing they finally have the chance to meet the Ponds... Sorry not a really good summary. Hope you like it :)
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Amelia was looking outside the window of an old train heading to New York. It was raining and the rain drops kept tumbling down the glass. Those black clouds seemed so heavy that she wouldn't have marveled if at any moment they had just crumbled above the train. The wind was so strong she imagined it would have made the train set off until meeting those dark clouds. She was startled by the soft wailing of her baby sister lying next to her in Freya's arms, Amelia's elder sister.

"Hush, Sophie, we're here." Freya rocked her ten-month sister, but she started crying even more desperately

"What's wrong with her?" asked a very concerned Adric.

"I think she is cold, Ammie, could you hand me her wool blanket?"

"Yes, Freya." Amelia said sighed. She passed the little blanket, placing it on the crying baby. "Freya, can you hear it...?"

"Yes, she is not cold..."

In fact, little Sophie was not cold, she was begging for her mother, request none of her siblings could fulfill.

Sophie started to shout drawing the attention of the ticket inspector, who came near their seats and started questioning them:

"What's happening? You are disturbing the other passengers. Why is she crying? Where is your mum?"

Freya answered the first two questions but she couldn't reply the third one, it hurt too much.

"Where are your parents?"

None of them had the strength to answer that question and actually they didn't even know where their father was; their mother… well she was gone, they would never see her again. Their father said she had flown away, she was now traveling through the Universe, seeing the stars and witnessing their birth and their end. But the Doctor said that she would never die, she would always be in that special places where nobody could take her away: their hearts. But than also their father was taken away and three weeks after his departure they didn't know if he was still alive.

"Are you deaf, girl? I asked you a question."

Freya was starting weeping, but Adric stepped in, to cause his sister less pain.

"We are traveling alone, are going to our grandparents' , we'll stay with them."

"Right, try to shut up that little squirt."

He went away and Freya burst into tears, she missed her parents but mostly she missed her mother, she had a special bond with her and now they had lost her.

Amelia tried to comfort her big sister, stroking her arm up and down. The four of them were drifting into darkness, a foggy darkness where the unknown was suffocating them, there was nothing to hang on to, not anymore, they just had each other and they were holding on themselves as much as possible. They were clinging to the memory of their mother and father's love and the happiness their family got so dangerously used to, as it was the last breath they would have breathed.

"Freya, don't cry or we'll all start. Soon we will be with our mind-blowing grandparents!"

Adric had always been a good brother, mum used to say he had golden hearts, like his grandfather Rory. Well, Ammie was a mischievous pest like her mother, according to the Doctor.

"You're right, sorry."

The blonde girl smiled faintly, she had promised her mother to be a big girl and look after her siblings and she couldn't allow herself to cry in front of them.

"Can we play a game or something? I'm getting bored..." Ammie said looking from Adric to Freya.

The two siblings nodded and the three of them played the game their father taught them a long time ago, when they were still a family.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

The door's bell rang. Amy was startled by that lonely sound. It was Sunday and they usually didn't expect anybody on that day of the week, especially at 8 o' clock in the evening. It was pouring down and Amy couldn't see anything peering out of the window.

She made for the door and opened it. In front of her stood four kids, well, actually three were standing, the fourth was a baby asleep in the eldest girl's arms, next to her there was a fourteen-fifteen years old boy and a younger girl. All of them were gaping at her, as she was some kind of ghost, but their eyes showed a very different story, there was bewilderment and a deep sadness in those eyes that looked so familiar. Then it hit her. They were curly haired kids, the eldest girl had blonde locks and those same blue eyes she could had never looked at after Manhattan, the boy had brown hair and his eyes were the same light blue of her sister, the third one had red long ringlets, her same colour. The baby's head was safely wrapped in a neat hat, which didn't let Amy see anything.

"Oh my God! RORY! Come here!"

Freya took courage and spoke.

"I'm Freya and I'm 17, this is my brother Adric, my sisters Amelia and the youngest Sophie. Dad said to give you this letter, it explains everything you need to know."

Amelia gave the letter to the eldest redhead woman who was staring at her in awe.

"Can we come in, it's cold out here." Adric said pulling his coat tighter.

"Yes- yes, of course."

In that moment Rory arrived running.

"Amy, what is it? What's happ..." he stopped abruptly when he saw those children, standing there with an too familiar air.

"You kids, sit down on the sofa, make your home, Rory and I will be in the kitchen."

Amy dragged his husband to the other room, sitting down at the lunch counter, with the letter the child had given her before, while her husband was pacing in thought. Then suddenly Rory froze and turned to Amy.

"Amy, they're not who I think they are, are they?"

"I don't know, but they all have crazy curly hair and they have the Doctor's eyes or River's."

"Why are they even here? Not that I mind but if they are our grandchildren, where are their parents?"

"The young girl gave me this letter..."

Rory sat next to his wife and they started reading the letter together.

_Dear Ponds,_

_I hope this letter arrives to you, because it means the kids are fine. The beautiful girls and boy you just saw are ours, yes, they are River's and mine children. Your daughter and I decided to settle down after our first baby was born, well, I have to admit it wasn't easy but eventually we found a place safe enough for us, a place to call home. We didn't give up on the crazy adventures, but it was just in rare occasions, when the kids weren't around. I will do the introductions, because probably they were too shocked to do so: the eldest of my girls is 17 and we named her Freya, after Gallifrey my home planet. She looks so much like River and she is brave and strong as her mother, she is also the sweetest girl I know, well maybe that's what all fathers say, but you'll see I'm right. Our only boy is 15 and his name is Adric, he is such a good boy, always looking after his sisters, he had always reminded River and I of you, Rory Pond, the man who waited 2 thousands year to keep the woman he loved safe. But he also got something from me, he is very clumsy and has the soul of the explorer. The mischievous redhead is 9, we named her Amelia, well no need to say we did after you my Amelia Pond. I always used to say she was a little pest like her mother, but River sustained she was exactly like me, well I guess she got it from both of us. And then there is the last one, little Sophie, we gave her a gallifreyan name, but for their safety it is better not to be revealed, she is barely 10 month and she is our last one. _

_Probably you are asking yourself why they are here without one of us, they are with you because you are the only people in this universe left that I utterly trust. River can't be with them and she will never be and me neither, I don't know if I will be able to see them again. I lost her, I lost your daughter forever. She is gone, my wife and the mother of my children, and I couldn't do anything to prevent it. They wanted to take our children especially little Sophie, you well know how precious Time Lord's DNA is and River would have done anything to protect them, even scarifying her own life. _

_We saved Sophie from a horrible future but at a great cost. I utterly love River, even now she is not here anymore. I'm sorry, I promised I would have kept her safe and I could not. Those four children are all I have left in this Universe, I know you will take care of them. _

_Please tell Freya, Adric, Amelia and even little Sophie that I am so proud of all of them and that no matter what happens I love them._

_Thank you_

_The Doctor_

Amy and Rory stood there frozen by what they had read, the Doctor was saying they were grandparents, but also that their only child, their baby was dead.

Their daughter had always been part of their lives, first as their best friend Mels, than as River Song, their enigmatic time traveler companion, than sweet Melody and finally, when they discovered River's true identity, she was their grown up little girl, who still needed her parents more than she liked to admit. When they left her with the Doctor on that horrible day in Manhattan they had hoped she would have been taken care of by her husband and she would have outlived them for a longtime.

Amy was relived that at least her daughter had the possibility to have a proper family and kids, something Rory and her had dreamt of and never had. But now River's kids had lost their mother, they were so young, the youngest would never get the opportunity to know her.

A silent tear streaked Rory's cheek, River or Mels or little Melody were all different version of her baby girl, the daughter he had always wanted, even if she was not as he had imagined her, he still loved her.

"Amy..." He reached his wife's hand tentatively, he needed to feel her at his side, because River's demise had ripped his world apart, he was precipitating into nothingness, River's death was engulfing everything surrounding him. He held Amy's hand tight, at least he was drifting with her.

Amy was struggling with that strange and old concept, _death_, which she had decided wasn't part of her daughter. She was supposed to be like the Doctor, it had to be Time and Space, the Doctor and his wife, everything around them would have born and died but not them, they would have been the four constants of the Universe. In that graveyard Amy had left her with the Doctor and this cold comfort.

"Rory, I can't... I can't... What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, "

Then they heard a baby crying and the reassuring voice of a girl, trying to calm her. But the girl started to bawling.

Once in the living room Amy saw her granddaughter in complete panic, Freya didn't know what to do, so she directed a pleading glance at the redhead.

"I'll take her…"

"Thank you, I don't really know what I'm doing…" Freya said passing the wailing child over her grandmother.

Rory was leaning against the door frame, watching the scene in front of him. Amy and him had to sort out the situation and at least for the moment they had to find a place where the kids could sleep. If they were used to sleep, he had always wondered if the Doctor slept…

"Rory, I think she is hungry, what does a 10-month baby usually eat?"

"If she's 10 month old, she should be able to eat paps."

"Yes, she doesn't have just the bottle anymore, she usually eats some mush things…"

"Ok, now, let's see what we can give you little one…"

The baby was fed and she was sound asleep in large basket they had filled with a soft pillow and warm covers in Amy and Rory bedroom. The other kids were sitting on the sofa, Amelia was sleeping too, on Adric's shoulder, while the older two were looking around the room with a disoriented look in their eyes.

Rory was preparing a cup of tea for the two of them, after they had rejected a proper meal from a very insisting Amy, instead the redhead was tidying the beds in the guest room.

The retired centurion came in the living room with the two mugs and a reassuring smile on his face. This poor kids had been thrown into a stranger place with two people they had never met and the killing awareness that whatever they had weeks ago had been completely wiped out.

"Here you are kids. This should make you feel better..."

God, had he really said that? Like a cup of tea could let them forget what they had lost...

"Thank you... Granddad, I suppose..." Adric said, interrupting the silence he had been into.

Rory smiled at that, 35 years old and he was suddenly grandfather of four Time Lords... Time Kids?

"Yeah... No problem. So... Are you feeling tired? Do you need anything? Are you cold?" _Cold_? Now you really sound like old gramps.

"Yeah, I'm a little bit tired actually." Adric said.

"Then let's get you some sleep..."

Rory carried Amelia in his arms, while Amy showed Freya and Adric the way to their new bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3 **

Amy and Rory gave into an anguished sleep, after an almost sleepless night of discussions and rearrangements about how they had to lead their new life with four unexpected alien grandchildren.

Amelia was the first one to wake up, with her sister's arms around her, which made the operation of sneaking out quite difficult. At the end she gave up and tried to understand where she was, analysing the room, but the only thing she could see was the ceiling due to her sister's deadly grip.

"Freya, wake up... I don't want to sleep anymore!"

The blond girl groaned in displeasure opening her eyes slowly.

"What is it Ammie? I wanted to sleep..."

"Usually you never do..."

"Well now I do... So what is it, can't you go back to sleep?"

"I'm bored and I want mummy and daddy, when are they coming back?"

Freya positioned herself in a sitting position on the all-too-small bed, her face softening in a pained forced smile.

"Ammie, you know that mummy is never coming back… While daddy needs sometime to fix things so that nothing happens to us ever again..."

"It's not true, why would you say such bad things? They have to be back, remember, mum promised us we would have gone to Asgard..."

Freya didn't know what to say, she stroked her sister's hair tenderly, searching for an answer that wouldn't break her hearts all over again.

"Amelia, I can promise you that daddy is coming back, but mummy is gone…"

"I want her back. I want her back."

"I know, me too, but now we get to know our grandparents, all those stories at bedtime and now they can tell us all of their adventures!"

She kissed her head and wiped away the tears that were striking her soft cheeks.

In that moment Adric woke up, rubbing his still sleepy eyes.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Nothing, just Ammie missing mum and dad…"

"Oh, I see… Well, me too… I think we all miss them…"

There was a long silence that felt so heavy, almost unbearable.

They were all thinking about that day, when their father came back and told them what they feared the most. Amelia since then had kept asking for their mother, not wanting to believe and accept the truth, while Adric kept blaming the Doctor for what had happened to their mother: that had been a torture for all of them, mostly for dad. That week after their mother's funeral was the worst. Their father tried his very best to comfort them but it was plain he was as broken as they were. Freya once heard him sobbing his hearts out and even if the TARDIS soundproofed his bedroom from that time on, she knew her father spent every night crying himself to sleep. She knew it because in the morning when he offered them reassuring smiles it was just a façade, the façade of an utterly heart broken man, whose smiles never reached his red swollen eyes, which at that point were empty and dim. He was the shadow of the man he used to be before, like a footprint consumed by waves of sorrow. He barely ate anymore, not strong enough to conceal the pain that shattered him, but willing to be there for his children, even if he wasn't able to do so. But there was something else in him, something dark and scaring, a rage that appeared as a passing shadow in his wild eyes. He didn't want to talk about what happened to their family, unless it was necessary in order to help his kids overcome the loss.

They all knew that that horrible day they didn't lose just their mother, but also their father.

"What about we prepare breakfast?" Freya blurted out, really not wanting to think about that. She had to cheer the atmosphere up, otherwise they would end up crying, which they had sufficiently done enough, before coming here.

"Yeah, let's do it… Are Granddad and Grandma still sleeping?" Questioned Adric forcing himself to think about the joy to spend time with his grandparents at last.

"I think so… Let's see, shall we?"

Freya stood up from the bed, offering her younger sister her hand, which Amelia grabbed eagerly.

They sneaked out of their bedroom in their pyjamas, moving as much silently as possible, the floor's wood creaking under their bare feet. Freya offered a sweet smile to her siblings trying her best to soften the pain, which constricted their chests. Of course they couldn't forget, they will never do, but they had each another and that was what they needed the most right now. Adric understood what his sister was doing and gave her a nod of gratitude and, gazing down at his younger sister, he took her hand, squeezing it.

After confirming their grandparents were still sound asleep, the three of them headed to the kitchen, downstairs. Amelia started to run, wanting to reach the room first, her wild hair bouncing up and down with each of her movements. Adric gave her disapproval glance, not at all happy with the noise her sister was making.

"Shh, you'll wake them up!"

"Oh come on Adric, don't be Mr. Grumpy and hurry up." Said a mischievous Amelia, pulling a giggling Freya and a sulking Adic.

"Now, we need this ingredients..." Said Freya looking at the list she had filled in. She wanted to prepare a cake she had seen at the pastry shop of her home town, Sinora.

"Freya, are you sure we are gonna find all the ingredients of the recipe?"

"I picked the cake, called Earth, it should have terrestrial products..."

"Well, I don't think we have Carcalla's syrup or Carcallas anyway..."

"So... What other ingredients don't we have?"

"Well, judging by what I remember from that book I've read about Earth's food... Half of them..."

Freya grumbled, huffing in frustration for what her brother had just said.

"Can't we use something else?" Amelia, who until then had stayed in silence, stepped in glancing between her sister and her brother.

"We can use golden syrup instead of the Carcalla's one." Adric said giving her sister a reassuring smile.

After replacing all the non-terrestrial ingredients on the recipe, they were finally able to put it in the oven.

"Why didn't we prepare cookies? You know I love them!" Amelia stared at her sister with a slight pout on her face. The blond girl turned away from her sister with an absorbed look and stared at the appliance, lost in her memories.

_"Sweetie, can you pass me the chocolate?"_ _Her mother_ _asked, while mixing the cookie dough._

_Freya handed what had been asked - "What are we preparing exactly?"_

_"Cookies, for your father and Ammie." She glanced at her daughter with a big smile._

_"Right, now we should mix the dough with the chocolate, do you want to do it?"_

_Freya nodded excitedly, her small hands clutching the wooden spoon tightly, a frown appearing on her face. _

_"Mummy?"_

_"Yes, sweetheart..."_

_"When you say for Ammie, you mean for you, don't you?"_

_"Well, not for Ammie, let's say that your yet-not-born sister makes me wanna eat cookies."_

_She kissed the top of her daughter's little head, earning a happy chuckle from her._

"What are you doing kiddos?" Amy's voice startled the three of them, making Freya snap out of her reveries.

They all turned around with a guilty expression on their faces.

"We were... We wanted to prepare you breakfast." Adric mumbled, not knowing if his grandparents were angry for using the kitchen without permission.

"That's okay, that's more than okay, it's very sweet, thank you!"

Rory stepped in holding a very awake Sophie.

"Hey Rory, come and see what they've done!"

Rory walked near the oven, where his wife was standing with a gleeful expression.

He knew she was suffering for the loss of their daughter, but she was also excited to have the possibility of spending some time with her grandchildren and getting to know them, four different combinations of the last of the Time Lords and the wondrous River Song.

"We thought it would have been nice to prepare you some breakfast as a way of saying thank you." Freya concluded, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and lowering her gaze.

"That's very sweet, kids, what kind of cake is it?" Amy asked caressing Amelia's head earning a big smile from the young redhead.

"It's EARTH CAKE!" Amelia cried out excitedly.

"Yeah, I chose this one because I thought it had ingredients just from here, but it turned out differently... I hope the results will be good anyway."

"Well, let's try it, shall we?"

Rory and Amelia retrieved the plates and laid the table down, while Adric sat down with Sophie on his legs. Amy hurried to prepare coffee and tea for all of them with Freya's help. When everything was done, they all sat down at the table, Sophie on Rory's legs.

"Amy do you know if Mrs. Anderson has a highchair? Otherwise we should buy one."

"No idea, but we should make a list of all the things we need, even if just for a while you three should be able to sleep in proper beds and this little one too." Amy said kissing her younger grandchild's hand. "Write down what you need on some paper, so that we can go and buy it." Amy added, pointing her spoon in the direction of her grandkids with a bright smile.

The three kids nodded and they all started eating the cake.

Freya was scrutinising her grandparents' faces in search of any sign of appreciation or the opposite.

"It's really good, different from the usual but really good." Rory winked to Freya, who smiled relieved.

"Yeah, I agree."

After they had finished eating and drinking their breakfast, Amy pushed the kids to get ready, so that they could show them the city. Rory went to his bedroom to get ready too, leaving Sophie to his wife. Only Freya seemed reluctant to leave, staying in the kitchen with her sister on her legs.

Amy turned, surprised by the fact that she was still there.

"Freya are you all right?"

"Yes, well not so much, but it's not this that I wanted to talk to you about."

"You want to talk then, what is it?"

The girl lowered her shut eyes in pain, looking so broken and hopeless that Amy immediately sat down at the table, taking Freya's hand with both of hers.

"If you wanna talk, I'm here, I know is hard, I've been through this too, well sort of… What I mean is that I know how you feel, all of you, and for the pain, well, I think in this moment we all are shattered. Your mum really meant a lot to us too."

"She wasn't just my mum, she felt like a friend too, a best friend. She was always there for me..." She laugh sadly, directing her eyes to the ceiling, trying hard not to cry. "We used to have a mother-daughters day, on Fridays, watching a movie, playing a game or just enjoying doing something together. And I couldn't... didn't do anything for her... Well anyway there's no use of thinking that now… Is it?"

"You know, it's not your fault…"

"I know, I know... It's just... I'm okay now, don't worry." She gave her a sad smile. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you if there was anything you and grandpa would like to ask me, you know about us, dad or... mum. We kinda of rushed into your lives without any notice and... I don't know... Are you all right with all of this? If we need money, I can work. I worked in a library at home..."

Amy stopped her granddaughter's rambling, smiling at the resemble to her father.

"It's all right, we have enough money, River provided us of this huge house and lots of money, you don't have to worry about that." She kissed the top of the girl's head standing up from the chair to go and get dressed too.

"But I want to know all about you four, what you like, what are your hobby, or even important stuff, like what's your favourite colour..."

Freya started laughing at that and soon after Amy joined her.

Before she left the room, she turned her head to look at Freya, who was making her young sister giggling with a sweet smile that however didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Your father was right..."

Freya tilted her head, directing her gaze to her grandmother. "About what?"

"You are a very sweet girl."

Freya smiled, adjusting a lock of hair behind her ear. After her grandmother was gone upstairs, she stood up too, Sophie in her arms and headed upstairs to get changed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! Sorry for the delate, but I had some school work to do. So, this is going to be the last "slow" chapter, the next ones will have more action and the story will really begin. Hope you enjoy this one, it's kind of fluff, so i warn you ;) Please comment if you have suggestions or comments, it would really be useful for me. Thank you! :)**

**CHAPTER 4**

After Amy and Rory had taken the kids around the city, they came back home. They were still standing a bit awkwardly around them but they were opening up; actually Amelia already had, but she was different from Freya and Adric, shier than their younger sister. It was afternoon when they arrived at the big house their grandparents owned and now they were all sat in the living room at the warmth of a comforting fireplace, making plans about the compelling new future.

"I think the beds are coming in a week, but the point is: do you want your bedroom to be the guest room or the attic? The second option is bigger but still, it is an attic. Then I don't even know if you want separates room, one for the girls and one for the boy..."

"I'd like to sleep with my sisters, at least for now... I don't really want to stay alone..." Adric said looking at her sister for reassurance that what he wanted was okay with her.

"Yeah, me too..." Said Freya, while Amelia was too occupied playing with her younger sister.

"I think the guest it's fine, it's nearer to your bedroom too, in case something happens..." That last bit was whispered by the curly boy, not really wanting anything to happen to the people he loved again. He felt more reassured at the idea of being near their grandparents' bedroom, so that he could protect them if anyone would show up.

"Okay, then, the bedroom is decided." Rory deleted the first point of the list he had written. "And what about school?"

"Rory they are Time Lords I don't think they need school, it would be boring for them."

"I know Amy but think it as a way of knowing new people, new kids. Maybe Freya and Adric can start it and then we can try also with Ammie."

"What do you think kids?" Amy asked directing her gaze towards her grandchildren.

A worried expression covered Freya's face at that, she was not ready to be around people again, strange people for crying out loud. Making new friends required a considerable effort, mostly in trying to be likeable and cheerful even when you aren't to please them. It wasn't like this at home: she had very good friends, with them she could be just herself, her annoying, her happy, her sad, her pissed self. She was taken back by Adric's voice, answering the question.

"It could be cool I suppose." He looked at her elder sister wondering what was on her mind, what about the thought of going to school had upset her so much.

His grandparents passed at the next issue, but Adric couldn't make out if they were avoiding the subject after Freya's reaction or they just missed it.

"Do you have any hobby? Practise any sports, that can be found or carried out here too?" Amy inquired curious to know what they liked to do in their free time. She had noticed too the mood change in the eldest of the girls, but she didn't want to push her right now, maybe she would have asked her later.

Freya, abandoned the dreading thought of making new friends, listed everything she liked to do with her family, with her friends or when she is just on her own.

"I love drawing and listen to music. As for the sports I like Quiddich, but I don't think we can that here. I also love books, well not so obsessed like Adric, but I'm quite fond myself."

"I'm not obsessed... I just enjoy it..."

"Seriously, you've almost read all the TARDIS Library's books..." She smirked puckishly, but meaning well. Hearing that, Amelia popped up "He is such a nerd sometime... Always actually..."

He tried to stay sullen, but he burst into laugh anyway at the funny face her sisters were making at him.

With a devious/impish smile that was just as her mother's, Freya poured out "Once we couldn't find him anywhere... Mum and dad were so scared...

We were on the TARDIS on holiday and we were going for one of those mess of adventure when you let dad pilot. Amelia and I went to the console room, were mum and dad were waiting for us. When they asked where Adric was, we hadn't the fairest idea, so dad went searching for him. When... "

..._They were on the TARDIS, spending the kids' holiday together. The Doctor had programmed to go to some warm and sunny place, just to relax and why not, maybe diving into a tropical sea. Well, it didn't really go that way, but that's what happens when you let the Doctor drive, but that is not the point. The point is that when Amelia and Freya reached the console room, without Adric, their father went searching for him. After a while he returned with big scared eyes and no words escaping his mouth. River, annoyed by her husband's inability to find their son, dragged all of them in the search. An hour passed and there was no sign of him, River started to worry while the Doctor completely freaked out. After two hours of yelling and running along the TARDIS' corridors, they finally found Adric, who was peacefully and unawarely reading a book in the library. _

And that's as a demonstration of how much Adric can lost himself in a room full of books. Really he scared the life out of mum and dad, they started talking about strange things, naming strange guys such as Kovarian. What kind of name is even that?

At the words Kovarian, the smiles on her grandparents faces completely disappeared. They looked at each other with a sad knowing glance, squeezing each other's hand tightly. They had come to accept what had happened with the Silence and the impossibility of raising their little Melody, but now it was like River's death had opened that wound up again.

"Did I say something wrong?" Freya glanced from one to the other of her grandparents.

"No, no it's okay, Freya..." Rory answered, but the girl raised an eyebrow back. "Really..." Rory smiled gently, while Amy lowered her eyes, clinging into her husband more.

"It doesn't seem so..." Freya softly remarked. "I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to be, it's okay, just bad memories..." Amy said, understanding that Freya could read the hurt in her face.

"So... What about a game?" Rory said with a kind smile.

"A game?" Amelia cried out excited, she had been silence until that moment, feeling the atmosphere was tense between them.

"Yes... What about something to know each other better, maybe you want to ask us something..." Amy stepped in, with a frown of concentration on her brows, trying to think of something which could match her need of knowing her grandchildren better with some good fun.

"What about _spin the bottle_?"

Freya's face lighting up. She had played it once, with her friends.

Eventually they went to bed, even if none of them was willing to sleep.

"I have and idea, but we have to be extremely quite..." Said a serious Adric.

"What idea?" Amelia chirped.

"What about we build a tent with the covers and tells each other stories?" The boy explained.

"I like it, but what if we include Sophie too?"

"But she is noisy..." Amelia replied to her sister.

"She won't, like you she loves stories. Remember? It is the only way to get her to sleep."

"Fine..." The ginger girl pouted.

"I'm gonna get her..." Freya said, ignoring her younger sister.

She quickly headed to her grandparent' room and knocked on their half closed door.

"Come in..." Freya heard his grandfather saying.

The room was lightened by a dim but warm bedside lamp, the atmosphere in general was oddly familiar, it reminded her of his parents' bedroom itself, the one at their home not the TARDIS's one. It gave her this overwhelming feeling of safety and affection, she used to have when entering in her mother's room. She remembered how she always ran to that room, after a nightmare. Her mother always kept that soft and soothing light on, engulfing her in a big warm hug, while whispering reassuring words in her ears and stroking her hair. She had been just a little girl then, but even as a grown up she hadn't been able to give up to that moment when her worries and anxieties had the best of her. Her mother was always ready to hearten her, the same way she always had.

Freya's eyes laid on the figure on the bed, for a moment she had hoped to see her mother, nestled in her father arms while cuddling Sophie, like she had watched them doing so many time before that horrible day.

"Hey, Freya, do you need anything? You seem thoughtful."

Rory's voice drew Freya back to reality, making her focus on him instead of her memories. He was sat on the bed his day clothes still on; he was trying to lull her sister to sleep with a soft humming and cradling her in his arms.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I was wondering if Sophie could sleep with us tonight... If that's not a problem..."

"It's fine with me... If you know a way to get her to sleep, if that's even possible. I don't know much about Time Lords, but your father wasn't one sleep much, well at least it seemed so..."

"Mum and Dad slept way less than us, but we need just few hours of sleep ourself, so right now I think Sophie just wants to enjoy the evening a little longer." Freya explained with a smile on her face. She shortened the distance between them and sat on the bed next to her granddad, making funny faces to her baby sister to make her giggle. Rory smiled at the two of them, he wished he could have seen River becoming a mother and the Doctor spoiling them. Oh, he could tell his daughter was the one struggling to be the mature parent, while her husband must have been happy to have four new playmates. He knew the Doctor wasn't the twelve-year-old baby he pretended to be, but around the children he must have been one. Those two crazy reckless had created four wonderful kids. He had ever doubt River would want to become a mother, she was irresponsible, to say the least, and now, well, she had been responsible for four brand new Time tots and she had done a great job, both of them had. He was aware of how miserable his grandchildren were at the moment, it has been just one day and half since their unexpected arrival, but it was plain they were lost, probably missing their parents more than they wanted to show.

He had been devastated himself when his mother had passed away, but Amy and mostly Mels had helped him a lot and now he wanted to do the same for River's children, he owned her this.

"Amy told me you were really close to your mum."

"Oh, we all are, well, were..." She let her sister grab her finger, giving her a smile when she succeed. "She was amazing, she understood us like nobody else could, not even dad. She could be fun and tender, to me a mother and a friend. I really love her and always will. Dad wasn't always home, usually just for few days but in the recent past also for two weeks, but that was because of the problems with the landing time. Mum during times like that tried to stay with us more, giving us more attention too, I guess she did that because she knew we missed dad. I hadn't realised how much she mattered in my life since now. I mean, I was well aware I loved her deeply, but it wasn't just that, she was also an anchorage to our life, it seemed like my whole existence became a mess without her. But I feel better, my brother and my sister helps already a lot and now there's you too."

Rory didn't know what to say, he was shattered by the girl's words. He was starting to understand how much comfort his grandchild needed, but not a single worthy word came up into his mind, so he just enveloped an arm around Freya, sustaining Sophie with the other, and kissed both of their heads.

In that moment Amy entered the room, massaging her forehead with both hands. Freya and Rory both looked up at her with weak smiles.

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

"Freya asked me if it was okay to let Sophie sleep with them tonight."

"Are you sure? What if she starts crying in the middle if the night and wakes you up?"

"I think they can manage that too, if they want to stay all together, Amy." Rory said giving her a nod of his head, gesturing in Freya's direction.

Amy put on a confused face, mouthing a _What_ as an answer, which made Freya turn her head towards Rory, who forced an awkward smile.

"You can sleep with Sophie tonight, but if she wakes up come to us without problems."

"Okay, thank you!" She said happily, taking her sister in her arms. She kissed both her grandparents on the cheek and headed to the door, when Amelia came running and crushing into her sister, who moved Sophie closer to her in fear she would fall.

"Ammie, be careful, I could have dropped Sophie." Freya hissed, glaring at her.

"Sorry..." Amelia answered huffing. Her mood quickly changed directing her gaze towards her grandparents eager to get a goodnight kiss, like she was used to with her parents. Back at home she was used to run to her parents' room, to curl up in their bed for a story. She liked it the most when her dad was there too, he told stories better than anyone else. After Sophie's birth she shared that moment with her too and she liked it so much. At the end of it she would get a kiss from both of them and her father would carry her in her bed, with a final kiss.

Amy and Rory peaked her cheeks at the same time, chuckling at the satisfaction the young girl showed.

Adric came in too to bring Sophie's chest to their bedroom.

"Goodnight Grandparents..." Adric said and then the four of them headed to their new bedroom.

"So, Freya you have to pull that string, Ammie keep it down." Adric stared at the tend they were creating. "That's perfect." Amelia and Freya joined their brother admiring their work.

"I like it, I'm gonna bring some pillows and covers to put inside. Ammie would you help me?"

The two sisters took pillows and warm covers inside the tent and placed a lamp too. It was open on one side so that it created more space. They all sat down, Adric placing Sophie on his crossed legs. Freya was sitting down when she remembered something and suddenly sprang up.

"Freya, where are you going?"

"We forgot something, someone is missing... " Freya said while searching her bigger-on-the-inside suitcase thoroughly.

"Here you are..." The eldest girl said triumphantly.

She came back to the tent, sitting next to Amelia, holding a torch and two photograph, one of their mother and one of both their parents.

"Now we are all here..." Freya said positioning the two photograph in front of them. They formed a semicircle around the images of their mum and dad, so that they could all see them.

Freya took Sophie from Adric's arms, letting the youngest Song held the torch.

"So, this is all for you Sophie, we know you like stories, just like Ammie... You know, you're not a newborn anymore, you are 10 months old now, but we don't want you to forget mum or dad... Those two pictures you see are mum and dad as you know and they are yours now."

"Yes and tonight we are going to tell you some stories about our parents." Adric added, taking her sister's place in speaking.

"What stories would you like to hear? Adric and I know quite a few. Adventures and incredible facts. Saving of whole planets and time rewritten. Running Weeping Angels, Daleks begging for mercy, terrorised Cybermen and crossed Sontarans. Travelling through time and space, birth and death of lots of stars. But most of all these all are stories about love and family, friendship and brotherhood, the darkness and the light of life's charms. Where do you wanna start?"

At her sister's excited voice and words Sophie began to clap her hands cheerfully, Amelia too was delighted to hear a story.

"What about mum and dad's marriage?" Amelia begged with a big smile. She had heard it just once, but she had loved it. Sophie at the sound of the words mum and dad babbled them back, putting her chubby hands on the pictures of both her parents, looking up to Freya with her big blue eyes.

"Okay... It was the 22nd of April when time was happening all at once. Dad had been closed in a dungeon by Caesar Winston Churchill..."


End file.
